Girl Crush
by Argyle.S
Summary: Nia overhears Kara talking to Alex about having a crush on her best friend, and thinks she's talking about Lena. Kara/Nia


Based on a Tumblr Prompt: Nia over hears Kara telling Alex about a crush she has on a female friend of hers. She gets all sulky thinking Kara must be talking about Lena. Imagine her surprise when Kara confesses how she feels for Nia later.

* * *

Nia was early. She knew she was, and she knew it was selfish, because it was intentional, but she couldn't help herself. Today was going to be torture. She was going to have to spend hours sharing Kara with other people, and as much as she knew she shouldn't, she'd gotten jealous of Kara's time over the last few months. Most days, it was just the two of them. Working on a story, fighting crime, being heroes. Sure, they worked with the DEO now that Hayley was gone, and Alex was in charge again and had her memories back, but even then, a lot of the time, it was just her and Kara, out in the field together. She lived for those moments alone together.

Which was the problem. Somewhere along the line, she'd fallen completely, hopelessly in love with Kara. She couldn't even say it was an accident, because if she were honest, she'd seen it coming after the day Kara had told her the truth, though in hindsight, by that point, it was already too late. She'd told herself, over and over again not to do it, that Kara would never want someone like her. Not when she had so many better options. People who were rich, people who were powerful, people who were achingly beautiful. One in particular who was all three, and was none too shy about her interest, now that she was single again.

But the heart wants what the heart wants, and her heart wanted Kara Danvers, any way it could have her. Which was why she was climbing the stairs to Kara's rooftop garden almost an hour before brunch was scheduled. Because she couldn't make it through the day without a little alone time with the woman she loved, even if Kara didn't return her feelings.

"I don't know what to do, Alex," Kara said, and Nia froze. The door at the top of the stairs was propped open, and Kara's voice was carrying down the stairwell.

"Have you considered telling her how you feel?" Alex asked.

"Yeah," Kara said. "Only, like, every five minutes for the past two months."

Nia stared up the stairs, as she felt something like a lead weight settle on her chest. Kara liked someone? A female someone? Nia bit her lower lip, worrying it between her teeth.

"Then why don't you try starting with that?" Alex asked. "I mean, it worked for me Maggie, and with Kelly."

"You told Maggie how you felt and ended up spending a week crying into your Scotch because she gave you the 'as a friend' speech," Kara said.

Nia winced a little on Alex's behalf. She'd been on the receiving end of that speech a couple of times, and it sucked.

"Well, yes, but then we dated for, like a year. We almost got married," Alex said.

"Yeah, I don't think I could put up with the months of moping and soul-crushing disappointment as gracefully as you did," Kara said.

"That is because you are a one-drink drunk, and it's embarrassing," Alex said.

Nia bit her lower lip, trying to keep from laughing. She had only interacted with drunk Kara a couple of times, and she was definitely a fan, but Alex was right. The amount of alien booze it took to put Kara under the table was kind of pathetic.

"I kind of hate you," Kara said.

"No, you don't," Alex said.

"I don't think I can do it, Alex," Kara said.

"Why not?"

"Because, it might get awkward if she said no. What if she feels uncomfortable around me because she knows I have feelings for her? What if she doesn't want to be around me anymore? She's the most amazing person I've ever met, and she's my best friend, and if she didn't want to spend time around me anymore, I don't know if I could stand it."

"God," Alex said. "You've really got it bad."

"I love her," Kara said. "I mean it. I really love her. I didn't even know it was possible to love someone like this. Sometimes, when I look at her, I feel like I can't breathe, and other times, it feels like I'll die if I don't kiss her."

Nia reached out and pressed a hand to the wall to steady herself. Hearing Kara describe her feelings for this woman, not that there was a lot of doubt as to who it was, made Nia's stomach twist inside of her.

"Okay, see, I totally get that. I mean, she's not really my type, but she's gorgeous."

"Yeah," Kara said. "The hair. I could spend hours just staring at her hair."

"That's gay," Alex said.

"I know," Kara said. "Which is part of why this is all so confusing. I always thought I was straight."

"Kara, I have been in the same room with you and Cat Grant. You were never that straight."

"I…you know, I can't even argue with that one."

"There was also the time you got drunk and spent an hour telling Lucy how nice she smelled."

"Vicki Donahue," Kara said.

"Touché," Alex said. "You want my honest opinion?"

"Always," Kara said.

"She feels the same way," Alex said.

"You think so?" Kara asked.

"Look, if she ran a headline saying, 'I'm in love with Kara Danvers' it would be less obvious," Alex said.

Nia turned around, and started back down the stairs, not wanting to hear anymore, because Alex's last words told her everything she needed to know. Lena had been flirting with Kara so blatantly the last few weeks that it was all Nia could do some days not to punch her in the face and tell her to stay away from Kara. She knew she didn't have any right to be jealous, because as far as Kara was concerned, they were just friends, but Nia wanted more. She wanted so much more, and she hadn't realized until that moment that she'd been holding out hope that maybe one day Kara would love her.

She walked three blocks doing her best to hold back tears, but once she was sure she was far enough away, she called an Uber to take her home. Fighting crime, fending off anti-alien bigots, facing down Supergirl's evil twin, those were all things she could handle. Spending an afternoon watching Lena flirt with Kara, knowing Kara wanted Lena too… she couldn't do it.

She waited until ten minutes after the party was supposed to start, and sent a text, telling Kara she wasn't feeling well. No big deal. Just a stomach bug, but she didn't feel much like eating, and she didn't want to risk making anyone else sick. She knew Kara was too polite a hostess to leave her guests as long as Nia assured her she was okay. She got back a polite 'I'll miss you,' text, and felt the tears start to well up.

She went over to the wine rack and grabbed the only thing she could think of that might make her feel better, or at least, make her not care how much she hurt.

* * *

"Kara?" Lena said.

"Hmm…what?" Kara asked.

"I asked if you had any ideas for a feature for the first issue of American Aliens," Lena said.

"Oh. Um…yeah, I do," she said. "I have a whole list, actually."

Lena bit her lower lip that way she always did when she was trying to decide if she wanted to ask a particular question. She stepped a little closer, and Kara had to stop herself from backing away. She didn't really want to offend Lena, but Lena had been acting strange ever since she and James broke up, and once Kara had figured out why, she'd done her best to keep a bit of distance between her and Lena, hoping Lena would take the hint.

"Where were you just now?" Lena asked.

"Right here," Kara said, hoping Lena would drop it.

"Kara," Lena said, in a tone that made it clear she wasn't going to drop it.

Kara sighed, because she had a pretty good idea how Lena was going to react. "I was wondering if Nia was okay," Kara said.

Lena stiffened a little, and Kara could see the hurt in her eyes. She hated that she put it there, but Lena was the one that pushed. Lena looked down at her glass for a moment and let out a sigh.

"You don't even want to try, do you?" Lena asked.

"I'm sorry," Kara said.

"Did I ever have a chance?" Lena asked.

"Do you really want to know?" Kara asked.

Lena looked up at her and nodded.

"You did, once," Kara said. "If you'd said anything, if you'd let me know, maybe."

"When?" Lena asked.

"Right at the start," Kara said. "Before we started hurting each other."

"I never meant to," Lena said.

"I know," Kara said. "I never meant to, either. But we did, and we missed our chance. I seem to be really good at that."

"Missing chances?" Lena asked.

"Yeah," Kara said. "James, Cat, you. If I'm being honest, I'm probably missing another one right now."

"Nia would be lucky to have you," Lena said.

"How did you…?"

"I don't need X-Ray vision to see that she's crazy about you. You should tell her, before you miss your chance."

"Thank you," Kara said.

"What are friends for, right?" Lena said, not quite able to keep the bitter edge out of her voice.

"Lena, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Kara," Lena said. "Who knows. Maybe Supergirl's looking for a date."

How Kara managed to avoid wincing she was never sure. "I wouldn't get your hopes up on that one," Kara said. "She and Dreamer seem pretty tight."

"Just my luck. Now, go. Talk to her."

"But, the party…"

"I'll make your excuses," Lena said.

"Thank you!"

* * *

Nia was on her third glass, and more than a little annoyed at the fact that her physiology burned alcohol a lot faster than humans, which meant she was probably at least another bottle away from even a decent wine drunk, and two or three away from the comfortably numb she was aiming for. She only had one more bottle left, which meant she was either going to have to have Instacart deliver something with a bit more punch, or she was going to end up owing her roommate for the bottle of coconut rum she kept in the refrigerator.

It was probably easier to Instacart it. She didn't really want to put up with the bitching if her roommate wanted a drink before the bottle was replaced, but that would mean picking up her phone, which would mean seeing the picture of her and Kara on her lock screen, and the picture of her and Kara on her background, and dealing with the fact that Kara had infiltrated every part of her life.

God, it had been a long time since she'd had a pity party like this for herself. The last time had been the day she'd gotten the letter telling her she wasn't going to be interviewed for a permanent position on Ms. Grant's staff. Of course, she'd regretted it the next morning when Ms. Grant had called her into her office and told her loudly, with a glint in her eye that always made Nia suspect Ms. Grant knew she was hungover, that she had a job at CatCo, working with Kara Danvers waiting for her. This one wasn't going to have the same happy ending as that one had, unless there was a third hotter, gayer Danvers sister no one had told her about.

She lifted her glass to take another drink, frowning when she found the glass was empty. She got up, intending to get the last bottle of wine when someone knocked on the door. She frowned and walked over to look out the peephole and let out a small yelp of surprise when she saw Kara standing there.

Nia glanced back at the living room, and the two bottles of wine sitting empty on the coffee table.

"Shit," Nia said.

"Nia?" Kara said. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Nia said. "I'm just still feeling a little sick. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Nia, please open the door," Kara said.

Nia closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She really didn't want Kara to see her like this, but she knew she didn't have much choice at this point. She opened her eyes, unlocked the door, and opened it.

Kara looked amazing. Of course, Kara always looked amazing, so that was no surprise, but if there was ever a day for her to not look like the physical incarnation of the Kryptonian Goddess of Beauty she was named for, Nia really wished today was that day.

"Hey," Nia said.

Kara smiled, and the ache Nia felt to lean in and kiss her got that much worse.

"Told you I'd miss you," Kara said.

Nia couldn't stop herself from smiling. "You did," she said in a soft voice.

"Can I come in?" Kara asked.

"Yeah," Nia said. She stepped back to make room and followed Kara into the apartment. She had to pull herself up short when Kara came to a stop.

"Were you drinking?" Kara asked.

"Yes," Nia said. She stepped around Kara and picked up the wine bottles, carrying them over to the kitchen.

"I don't understand. You said you were sick."

Nia turned on the tap and started rinsing the wine bottles out. "I lied," Nia said. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" Kara asked. "Is something wrong?"

Nia didn't answer right away. She finished rinsing out the bottles, and put them in the recycling bin.

"Nia?"

"I found out something this morning, and I didn't want to be around people," Nia said.

"Oh," Kara said. "Do you want me to leave?"

"No," Nia said. She turned around. "You're not people."

"I'm not?" Kara asked.

"No. You're Kara," Nia said with a smile. "I always want you around."

Kara smiled at her, and before Nia knew it, she found herself pulled into a hug, and felt Kara rubbing her back.

"Do you want to tell me what's wrong?" Kara asked.

"Do you think we could just sit for a bit?" Nia asked.

"Of course," Kara said. She let go of Nia, long enough for Nia to walk over and sit down on the couch. Kara sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Nia leaned into it and rested her head on Kara's shoulder.

"Promise me you'll always be my family," Nia said.

Kara turned her head and pressed a kiss to Nia's temple. "Always," she said.

"Have you ever been in love with someone who was in love with someone else?" Nia asked.

"It's kind of a running theme with me," Kara said. "Is that what this is about?"

Nia nodded.

"Tell me what happened?" Kara asked.

"It's stupid," Nia said.

"Nia, your feelings are never stupid. They're a part of you."

"Yeah, a stupid part," Nia said.

"Please, tell me what happened," Kara said.

"I fell in love with someone," Nia said. "I tried not to, because I knew they'd never be interested in me."

"Why wouldn't they be interested in you?" Kara asked.

"I'm nobody," Nia said. "Just a little girl from Parthas."

"That is *so* not true!" Kara said. "You are smart, and brave, and amazing."

"When you say it, I almost believe that," Nia said.

"You should believe it, because it's true," Kara said.

"Maybe," Nia said. "It doesn't matter. They're in love with someone else."

"They said that to you?" Kara asked.

"No," Nia said. "I overheard them telling someone about the woman they're in love with."

"Oh," Kara said.

"I know I should be happy for them, and I promise I will be, but I just needed some time to deal with it," Nia said.

Kara pressed another kiss to her temple, and Nia closed her eyes, wishing the moment could last forever. Kara was always so warm, and she loved the way Kara's arms felt around her.

"Did I ever tell you about how I met Lucy?" Kara asked.

"I don't think so," Nia said.

"I'd been Supergirl for about two weeks. I'd just beaten Reactron."

"I remember that. It was the first time you took down someone Superman couldn't stop," Nia said.

Kara smiled. "It was," she said. "I had been crushing hard on James ever since I met him, and Alex told me, after I kicked Reactron's ass, that I should go get the guy. And I did. I marched right into his office, ready to ask him out on what I was sure would be the first of many wonderful, amazing dates."

"What happened?" Nia asked.

"His ex-girlfriend was in his office, looking to see if she could be his current girlfriend again," Kara said.

"Lucy?"

"Yeah," Kara said.

"What did you do?"

"Ran away with my tail between my legs," Kara said. "I mean, Lucy was this gorgeous woman. Smart, and funny, and beautiful, and how could I ever compete with that?"

"Is this supposed to make me feel better?" Nia asked. "Because it's kind of having the opposite effect."

"Why's that?" Kara asked.

"Because I can't compete," Nia said.

"You didn't let me get to the part of the story where I ended up with James," Kara said.

"You did?" Nia asked.

"Yeah," Kara said. "For all of about five minutes. James and I might have worked, if Lucy hadn't been in his office that day. But when I finally got around to kissing him, I'd changed too much. I wasn't the girl who walked into his office that day, and he wasn't what I wanted anymore."

"Still not making me feel better," Nia said.

"It should," Kara said.

"Why?" Nia said.

"I don't know," Kara said. "I honestly kind of lost the thread when I pictured Lucy in the outfit she was wearing that day, and realized I am way gayer than I thought I was."

Nia slapped Kara in the stomach. "You're supposed to be comforting me," she said in a grumpy tone, but she couldn't stop herself from smiling.

"Would it help if I told you that you've got much better hair than Lucy? I could just stare at it for hours."

Nia froze, as what Kara said registered. She lifted her head off Kara's shoulders and looked at her.

"What did you say?" Nia asked.

"Just now, or on the roof this morning when Alex was trying to talk me into telling you how I feel?" Kara said.

"You were talking about me?" Nia asked.

"Who else would I be talking about?" Kara asked.

"I thought you were talking about Lena," Nia said.

"Did you miss the part where I said I was in love with my best friend?" Kara asked.

"No," Nia said. "I just thought…"

Kara reached up and brushed Nia's hair out of her face. "Nia, I like Lena a lot. She's my friend. But you understand me in a way I don't think anyone other than my sister has ever come close to. You've been through so many of the same things, and you were there for me when I didn't even have Alex. You're my family, Nia, and somewhere along the way, I fell in love with you, and right now, I really, really want to kiss you."

"Please," Nia said.

Nia let out a small whimper when Kara's lips touched hers, because it was so soft, and so gentle it felt almost like one of her dreams, but it was so, so much better, because it was happening, and Kara was cradling Nia's face in her hands, and oh, god, Kara's tongue was in her mouth and Kara was moaning, and how had they never done this before, because this was amazing.

She made a little noise of protest when Kara pulled away, but she opened her eyes to find Kara smiling at her.

"When did you know I was talking about you?" Nia asked.

"When you said you'd overheard them telling someone about the woman they're in love with," Kara said. "You'd already told me in happened this morning. It wasn't to hard for an Ace Reporter to connect the dots."

"Thank God for your reporter's instincts," Nia said.

"I'm too busy thanking Rao that Yvette isn't home," Kara said. "Because I'm pretty sure she's the kind of person who would sit in the room and watch us make out."

Nia nodded her head. "She would totally do that."

"When will she be home?"

"Not for hours," Nia said.

Kara smiled and Nia started to lean in for another kiss, but Kara stopped her.

"What's wrong?" Nia asked.

"I just…you're really in love with me?" Kara asked.

"Yes," Nia said.

"Good," Kara said. "Because I am so in love with you it hurts."

"Well," Nia said. "Why don't I kiss it and make it better?"

Kara smiled. "That's a good plan. I'm proud to be a part of it."

"Me too," Nia said as she leaned in to kiss Kara.


End file.
